MARCH 2018         VOLUME XIII            NUMbER 2

???????????SUNDAY BRUNCHevery sunday

$5 BLOODY MARY BAR

ITALIANNIGHTEVERY SUNDAYPASTA SPECIALSFOR BOTH KIDSAND ADULTSBYOB NIGHT

M A R C H    Saturday, March 10 · Dueling Pianos

Sunday, March 11 · Family Night at the Crest

Saturday, March 17 · Kids Movie Night

Wednesday, March 21 · Texas Holdem'

Sunday, March 25 · EASTER BUNNY BRUNCH

APRILSunday, April 1 · EASTER BRUNCH

Sunday, April 1 · EASTER DINNER

Saturday, April 7 · Kid's Movie Nite

Sunday, April 15 · Family Night at the Crest

Wednesday, April 18 · Texas Holdem'

Saturday, April 21 · Kid's Movie Nite

Sunday, April 29 · Mother/Daughter Tea Party

MAYFriday, May 4 · Live Music Happy Hour

Saturday, May 5 · Kid's Movie Nite

Saturday, May 5 · Kentucky Derby Happy Hour

Friday, May 11 · Live Music Happy Hour

Sunday, May 13 · MOTHER'S DAY BRUNCH

Wednesday, May 16 · Texas Holdem'

Friday, May 18 · Burger Bar

Saturday, May 19 · Kid's Movie Nite

Sunday, May 20 · Family Night at the Crest

Friday, May 25 · Live Music Happy Hour

Monday, May 28 · Memorial Day Pool Party

UPCOMING  EVENTSE A S T E R

BRUNCHSunday, April 1st

BRUNCH BUFFET10:30am to 2:00pm

Reservations fill up fast. So make one today with the host!

$3495++ per adult - $1495++ per child

EASTER DINNER4:00pm to 7:00pm

Including Chef ’s Easter Dinner Specials

DINNERand

Goes towards food minimum

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 2

GLOW

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 3

MargaritavilleRETURNS!

REGISTRATION OPENS THURSDAY, MAY 3rdMORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Friday, June 22ndSAVE THE DATE

DUELING PIANOS

saturday, march 10th

7pm to 11pm

THE PHILLY KEYSFEATURING

Presented by Jon Ardito Entertainment

NO SIGN UP REQUIRED.

JUST SHOW UP!

FireSide & Pearsall LoungeHappy Hour Specials

Sunday, March 11th @ 4:30pm

$7 Buffet Dinner for the KidsRegular Menu for the Adults

MAKE DINING RESERVATIONS ONLINEOR WITH THE HOST STARTING AT 4PM

THIS MONTH’S ENTERTAINMENT:Judy Tudy the ClownGlitter Tatoo Artist

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 4

MY STAFF AND I ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETT ING THIS SEASONUNDERWAY. THE COUPLE OF WARM DAYS IN FEBRUARY SPARKED A

GREEN UP WHICH GETS ME RARING TO PUT THE COLD WINTER BEHIND US . I WOULD L IKE TO THANK ALL THE MEMBERSWHO PARTIC IPATED IN THE YEAR END SURVEY. TH IS INFORMATION IS INVALUABLE ; AS IT G IVES MY TEAM GREATINSIGHT INTO WHAT’S BEEN WORKING WELL AND WHAT AREAS WE NEED TO IMPROVE UPON.

BunkersIn between deep freezes and pouring rain this winter, we have

been working on renovating a number of bunkers around the

course. Not only will the bunkers be re-edged, we will be

reshaping certain bunkers to provide a flatter smoother bottom

or flashing up the edges higher. This will help to steepen the

pitch and reduce a chance of balls remaining on a slope.

During this process every bunker will be depth checked to 1.5”

on faces and 3” on the bottom. We will be introducing hand

raking only into our schedule to address firmness along the

edges. Throughout the season our sand depth will be checked

on a more consistent basis.

TopdressingEvery 3-4 weeks, the greens will be lightly top-dressed to keep

thatch at bay. The sand, which helps break down organic

material, will also fill any voids on the greens creating a

smoother, more consistent surface. During the late summer

months, depending on weather, we may skip the process as

the sand is very abrasive and can damage the stressed turf.

The club purchased a brand new topdressing machine that

has wireless control. This new system greatly helps us adjust

throw width and material amounts with a touch of a button.

AerificationA big change will be noticed this spring, to the sounds of

cheering golfers. We will not be aerifying the greens with the

Graden slice and fill. After 6 years of aggressively tackling our

thatch issues, testing this past summer for water infiltration

rates was exceptional. The testing will continue each year to

see when we may have to reintroduce the Graden. During

2018, we will be punching holes with solid tines and starting a

light top-dressing program. The solid tines, as we’ve used

throughout the years, open a small slit for water and oxygen to

enter the rootzone as well as release built up gases. Our first

punching will be scheduled for the third week of March,

weather dependent.

Tee SurroundsThrough the spring, we are continuing the re-wrapping of tees.

Over the years the bentgrass has crept into the rough, and this

process will help clean up the contamination and straighten

tee boxes. My staff and I are anxious to get the season under-

way. Please check out the blog to see more pics and descrip-

tions of our operation.

WELCOME BACK EVERYONE,

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 5

NIBLICKSfrom the the professional staff

LADIES OPENING DAY TOURNAMENT & LUNCHEON Thursday, April 12th · 9:30am shotgun The format will be a FUN 4-person Step Aside Scramble. The

Golf Shop staff will make random pairings. There will be a con-

tinental breakfast prior to golf and lunch and awards following

golf. Players may sign up online.

QUALIFYING FOR MATCH PLAY BEGINS APRIL 1ST Qualifying for the various Men’s Match Play Tournaments (Men’s

and Senior Handicap Championships and Men’s and Senior

Better Ball Championships, Super Senior Handicap, Scratch

Match Play) began on Sunday, April 1st. The Men’s Handicap

and Men’s Better Ball qualifying continues until April 29th. The

Senior, Super Senior and Scratch Match Play events qualifying

all end on May 30th. The details of qualifying can be found on-

line in the Member section of the website under Golf

Information. Call the Golf Shop if you have any questions.

SENIOR GOLF OPENING DAY TOURNAMENT & LUNCHEON Wednesday, April 18th · 8:30am shotgun The Senior Golf season kicks-off on Wednesday, April 18th with

an 8:30am shotgun start using a fun format put on by the

Professional Staff. Teams will be randomly put together using

the ABCD format where teams will be evenly matched as well.

There will be a breakfast prior to golf and lunch and awards fol-

lowing golf. Gentlemen 50 years and older may sign up online

or by calling the Golf Shop. Come join the fun.

MEN’S GAP MATCHES SIGN UP ONLINEThe Men’s GAP Matches will be held Sundays, April 22nd, 29th

and May 6th. Members have been signing up since early

February. We need 36 players each week of the matches, so if

you are interested in participating sign up online for each of the

weeks you are available (there are 3 different events online) or

email us at golfshop@rivercrestgolfclub.com. We may or may

not be underdogs going into the matches, but we could use

your help on the road to victory!

MARCH HOURS OF OPERATION For the month of March, the golf operations will be open

Wednesday through Monday from 10:00am until 5:00pm.

Weather depending and if the ground is firm enough so that golf

balls do not plug, the Practice Range will be open beginning at

9:30am and closing at 5:00pm. The Golf Course and all

Practice Facilities are closed on Tuesdays.

LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION SOCIAL & MEETING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21st · 6:00-8:00pmThe annual Ladies Pre-season Social and Informational Meeting

will be held on Wednesday, March 21ST at 6:00pm in the

Clubhouse. The evening will start will a 45 minute Social.

Following the social the Ladies Golf Committee and Professional

Staff will go over the 2018 Ladies Golf program in detail. We

encourage all Ladies of the Club to attend. Please sign up online.

SAVE THE DATES Men’s League Signups start March 12thMen’s Member Member Signups start April 2nd

PRESEASON RE-GRIP SPECIAL The new golf season is quickly approaching. Our minds are

ready, but how about our clubs? Before you get your season

started please check and see if your clubs need to be re-

gripped. For the month of March we will have a 15% Re-

Gripping Special. Bring your clubs by the Golf Shop to have us

take a look and see if they need to be replaced. Sometimes

they do, sometimes they don’t. New grips come in a variety of

sizes, colors and textures to fit your game and personal prefer-

ence. Turnaround time is generally pretty quick so you won’t

miss out on those nice days right around the corner.

FREE GOLF BALLS! This is the BEST SALE on golf balls all year! The major golf ball

manufacturers (Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway) are all offering a

pre-season golf ball special of:

BUY 3 DOZEN, GET ONE DOZEN FREE & FREE PER-SONALIZATIONWhether you play Titleist Pro V’s, TaylorMade TP 5’s or the

Callaway Chrome, this great deal applies to you! To take advan-

tage of this opportunity please email our Golf Shop Manager

Kelly at kmk@rivercrestgolfclub.com and she will take great care

of you. There is a short window of opportunity here as most

offers end on April 15th.

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 T H E P R E S E R V E PA G E 6

NEW YEAR, NEW GOLF SEASON, NEW GEAR!New in the Ladies section this season, the Golf Shop will be carrying SanSoleil, which is UV sun protection shirts in bright and cheerful

patterns. Other new collections will include; Adidas, Cutter & Buck’s Annika Collections, Nike, Tail, All 4 Color summer dresses, and

Levelwear pullovers and jackets for immediate Spring fashions.

In the Junior Section, Kids will be able to pick from the latest trends from Nike for both boys and girls. They will also have a chance to

try to the Nike Roche Jr golf shoe that is as comfortable as a sneaker! They can look just like Mom and Dad as they will be offered in

adult sizes as well!

In the Men’s section, an exciting new Custom Label RiverCrest line of golf shirts will be making their spring debut. Golf Shop favorite

brands that will be returning are Under Armour, Travis Matthews, Adidas, Johnnie-O, Bobby Jones, Nike and Vineyard Vines. Spring

mornings and evenings still could be chilly, so stock up on a colorful spring pullover from Sunice, Under Armour or Vineyard Vines. The

technology in apparel is getting just as good as the equipment so make sure to stop in and see the newest trends in golf apparel.

New Accessories that will be in the Shop are the Black Clover hat line, Crab & Creek Accessories, RiverCrest embroidery belts, new

leather handbag line K.Carroll for the ladies, Candles, Waterbottles, Pool towels, Sun Protection Hats.

We are excited to feature a 2018 NFL Champion E-A-G-L-E-S section in the Golf Shop which will have antiqued EAGLES wooden wall

signs for the man-cave and NFL Champion Tervis Tumblers in 3 styles. We will also have Cutter & Buck EAGLES golf shirts and

pullovers on the way! Throughout the year we will put in special unique items that will keep us all in high spirits that we are WORLD

CHAMPIONS!

O’ Summer, Summer, wherefore art thou Summer?

O’ what two beautiful days we were treated to in late February.

The temperatures soared above 70 degrees and the bright sun-

shine made it feel like the middle of summer. So, by decree of

the Head Professional, golf MUST be played!

Colby and his mother headed out to RiverCrest (because once

in a while they follow my orders, but only once in a great while.)

It had been a few months since either had touched a club, so

their swings were a little rusty. Having snowed just three days

prior, the golf course was still very wet and soft. Neither would

be getting much roll on their tee shots. Nonetheless, the duo

each managed a par on the first hole.

Colby had the honor on the 2nd tee and took a mighty lash.

He got under it a bit and popped his tee shot up. The ball took

off like a flaming arrow heading towards the enemy. Dilly Dilly!

Well, it headed toward the fairway which is never your enemy.

The ball came down on a steep descent and disappeared into

the mushy soil. An embedded ball for sure.

After his mother launched it by him, they slung their golf bags

over their shoulders and headed down the fairway. Quick his-

tory lesson, the first golf bags were made by copying an

archer’s quiver bag used to carry arrows. Prior to that, caddies

just carried the loose clubs in their hands.

I digress. When Colby and his mother arrived to where they

thought Colby’s ball should be; there was no ball to be found.

It had been sucked up by the fairway (that’s what you get for

calling the fairway your enemy!) Where they were searching

didn’t seem that bad, there wasn’t any casual water coming up

around their feet. They looked around for a few minutes but it

was obvious that this ball had met its eternal demise. O’ Golf

Ball, Golf Ball, wherefore art thou you little…….

Colby wanted to use Rule 25-2 Embedded Ball where if a play-

er's ball is embedded in any closely-mown area through the

green, it may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty,

as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the

hole. But…..there was no ball to be lifted. So now what?

If the ball cannot be found, the player must proceed under Rule

27-1 Ball Lost, incurring the stroke-and-distance penalty. There

is nothing in Rule 25-2 that permits a player to take relief for a

ball that is thought to be embedded without identifying it first.

The soft mushy earth is not an abnormal ground condition

unless casual water is present. No casual water present, no

free drop! Colby still wanted to use Rule 25-2. But Mom stood

strong and said, “You may not deny thy Mother, or refuse thy

penalty!” The stare that Mom got back was…Chilly, Chilly!

But fear not, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”

Or something like that. Here’s to dreams of midsummer, and

on the golf course our putts running smooth! Dilly Dilly!

Colby’s Rule of the MonthRule 27 ball Lostby Jamie Komancheck, PGA Head Golf Professional